One Last Time
by This-Little-Ballerina
Summary: The return of innocent, sweet Victoria is impacting more people than she thought. Her precious town is falling apart, and it seems to be at the hands of an old, old friend... Mystic Falls like you've never seen it before.
1. Victoria

**Hello all! My name is Mel. I'm a diehard lover of TVD, but instead of doing a fanfic with those characters, I wanted to explore and build my own, with their own backstories and relationships and such. It's very much based off of the show, so don't be surprised when you spot similarities, and it does take place in Mystic Falls. I've had so many hits and only one review so far, so please write a quick something. Even if it's criticism, it'll help me write and encourage me to continue. At the beginning of each chapter, I give a brief playlist for it. You can ignore it if you'd like, it's just something I've discovered I like to do. But it would mean a lot if you listened to these songs while reading, or at least pictured them during the chapter! Anyways, happy reading!**

"**The A Team" Ed Sheeran  
><strong>"**Automatic Stop" The Strokes  
><strong>"**Don't Wait" Dashboard Confessional**

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><p>Victoria Eddison woke to the warm sun sneaking through the curtains, tickling her pale skin and beckoning her out of bed. She crinkled her bite-sized nose in pleasure, chuckling to herself as she pushed her petite body up. Victoria's long, wheat-colored waves fell loosely down her back and sides as she stood. She yawned, stretching her arms up towards the heavens and extending herself up on her toes, like a ballerina on pointe. As she drew back the curtains, her pale blue eyes settling on the green meadow stretching as far as she could see, she felt the sunlight hit her face again and let out a dreamy sigh. It was beautiful mornings like these that made Victoria thankful for the crafty ring Genevieve had bewitched for her <em>many<em> years ago. The beautiful green stone that made it possible for Victoria to endure the sun at all.

Walking around her tiny attic bedroom and listening to The Killers as she got ready made Victoria feel peaceful. Victoria examined herself in the mirror once she was done. Only a swift brush of mascara and a tinge of blush was needed on her pale, pristine face. Victoria's childlike beauty was a treasure, she knew, yet she often found herself wishing she looked older. More mature. She tied a ribbon around her scalp as a headband, her hands drifting towards her throat afterwards. The bare touch of her pinky finger averted her eyes to the short golden chain around her neck, carrying a single pearl. In terms of her immorality, her "condition", the necklace had no real value or meaning. But remembering the giver of the gift, she couldn't bear to remove it. It took her back to days of endless bliss, and those familiar electric blue eyes that had once made her feel so safe. That very beautiful boy had once been her world. But compared to how long she had been living, those times had felt like minutes overall.

Victoria's eyes met her own in the mirror. She blew air out of her mouth, her cheeks puffing out, and for once since she had devised this whole silly scheme, Victoria felt anxious. No, more like fear. The kind of fear that a kid who was often bullied got when she first walked into the cafeteria, knowing with dread that she would have to sit alone. She felt so small inside, and every single doubt was showing in her eyes. _What am I _really_ doing here?_ She wondered. _I know exactly the stuff that happened here, in Mystic Falls. This town is a hotspot for supernatural activity. Yet I feel myself being drawn here… In odd ways that I can't quite explain. _

An alarm went off on her cell phone, snapping Victoria back into reality. She only had fifteen minutes until the first bell at Mystic Falls High would ring, and she didn't want to be late on her first day.

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><p>Victoria's head was throbbing, and she had only suffered through homeroom. She had forgotten what it was like to be around so many humans, the scent of their thick, sweet blood stuck in her nostrils and the loud buzz of their conversations in her dainty ears. In her homeroom, there were twenty-seven other kids. They had all stared at Victoria with such intensity it made her paranoid, as if they knew she was a vampire. Being "the new girl" was more pressure than she had imagined.<p>

Victoria looked down at her schedule, her body twisting automatically to the left as a kid rushed past her, muttering his apology as he sprinted down the hallway. Her next class was AP American History. _How ironic,_ she couldn't help but giggle.

"Something funny?" The warm voice made Victoria's head snap up, her mouth and eyes wide. She really didn't want to offend anyone on the first day. Her pale eyes took in the owner of the voice all at once, and she found herself actually blushing. The boy stood tall, with a lean yet built body. He had big hands, the kind that love finding their way through yours. His skin was a warm chocolatey brown, like a light hot cocoa. He was smiling at her, revealing deep dimples and polished white teeth. But his eyes were the best of all, a brilliant jade, with rings of gold and deeper than pools.

"Uhh…" Victoria bit her lip, unsure of how to respond. The boy laughed, shaking his head. He put a hand on her arm, and a flicker of recognition crossed his face. Victoria barely caught this in all her hectic ogling though.

"Don't worry, I'm just playing." He said, his tone friendly and conversational. Victoria nodded.

"I knew that," She muttered, feeling embarrassed at her vulnerability.

"Sure you did," He winked. "Look, since you're obviously new, I'll help you out," He said proudly with a self-righteous smile. This made Victoria roll her eyes, an irresistible smile on her face.

"How chivalrous of you," She replied lightly.

"I get that a lot," He shrugged.

"…But I think I can find my own way, thanks," Victoria tilted her head to the side, giving the mysterious boy a sweet, flirty smile as she turned and continued down the hallway, leaving the cute boy dumbfounded in the middle of the chaotic hallway.

Victoria found the classroom easily on her own, a fleeting moment of pride going through her. The bell rang just as she had slid into her seat. The teacher was much older, his hair a silvery gray and pulled back in a ponytail, and his skin sagging. He was dressed in ratty clothes, and from what Victoria could tell from behind, he slouched. But when he turned around, her throat tightened and she felt herself blushing for the second time that morning. His Greek nose, bow-shaped lips, arched eyebrows, and dark brown eyes made a face that was all too familiar to Victoria. _John Tessen,_ one of her… well, what could one possibly say to describe the kind of relationship that John and Victoria had had?

Despite her best efforts to blend in, his eyes met hers, and his gray eyebrows shot up in recognition. He stumbled back, his hand flying to the chalkboard to catch himself while the other one went to his mouth. Victoria just sat in her seat, frozen in place, as decades rushed by between the two. Any hope of blending in was now vanished as the rest of the class stared at their teacher, confused, and traced his eyes back to Victoria.

And as if the class couldn't get any weirder, the boy from earlier waltzed in and slid into the seat directly behind Victoria.

"Well, it seems we have a new student," John recovered quickly, giving Victoria a small smile. She felt her body flood with relief. John wasn't going to reveal her secret. He wouldn't, no matter what happened in the past. She could feel the green eyes of the boy behind her piercing into her back with curiosity as the entire class turned to look at her.

"Miss…" He trailed off, waiting for Victoria to finish, even though he knew her name fully well.

"Eddison. Victoria Eddison," Victoria gave John a small smile, playing along beautifully. John smiled back at her, relief and interest fringed around the corners of his lips. Victoria shook her head slightly, as if to say, _We can talk later._ He seemed to get the message, his gaze turning to the boy behind Victoria.

"Baker! Don't think I didn't notice you slip in a good minute late," He said, his voice firm but amused. The boy laughed along, his stare just as strong as John's.

"Nothing gets past you, Mr. Tessen!" He retorted, in a faux- teacher's pet manner. The whole class tittered, including the elder instructor.

"Save it for your mother, Danny," John rolled his eyes, turning around to write back on the board. Once his back was turned, the rest of the class broke down into murmurs and chatter, the students clearly content with the spare opportunity for small talk. Victoria's sharp hearing caught every word uttered, relieved that nobody was interested enough to talk about her. Underneath her arm, Victoria felt a small poking of a piece of paper being slipped between the crook of her elbow and the desk's arm. She lifted her arm, his eyebrows furrowing curiously at the slip of paper that was folded up neatly there.

_See? You can't escape me that easily_

Victoria rolled her eyes, an entertained smile breaking out on her face. She bent down, scribbling a response in her swirled cursive.

_Awfully cocky._

Without turning around, Victoria reached behind her and placed it carefully on the top of Danny's desk. She heard the boy chuckle, and the scraping of his pencil as he scrawled a reply to her hard answer.

_Careful, you don't want to offend me_

Again, Victoria rolled her pale blue eyes. She had a feeling he was playing along, but any hint of arrogance brought her back to the boy with the electric blue eyes, the boy whose necklace was around her thin throat.

_And why is that, Danny?_

John had begun his lesson, his voice loud and powerful, yet hearty. Apparently the class was deep into the Great Depression, a time Victoria knew like the back of her hand. Back then, her hair had been cut into a fresh bob and she practically lived in red lipstick. The Great Depression hadn't effected Victoria, who was enrolled in one of the first all-girls colleges, and knew how to live on her own anyways.

Victoria felt the now familiar prick of the piece of paper on her arm, and the sensation brought her back to the real world. She opened the piece of paper in her lap, quickly scanning the message.

_Aww, you know my name. _

Victoria sighed, bending over her desk and scribbling another response.

_And you know mine._

Behind her, Danny chuckled and crumbled up the paper, sliding it into his bag. He leaned over Victoria's desk and murmured, "Yes I do, _Victoria Eddison."_

* * *

><p>The bell rang, freeing the students from John Tessen's exceptionally boring class. Victoria would know, she heard students mutter and complain to one another about it for the past forty-five minutes. She scooped her new textbook up and slid it into her bag, giving John another weak smile as she passed his desk. He nodded, his face stony, but his eyes lit and dancing with his usual hearty manner. Behind her, she heard Danny scramble to catch her.<p>

"You can't get away from me that easily," He gloated, slowing his stride to match hers. Victoria looked up at him, a good head taller than she, and laughed politely.

"I know, you mentioned that," She bit her bottom lip in delight.

"Because it's true!" Danny beamed, clutching his books to his chest. Victoria noticed how people seemed to clear space for her and Danny to pass, looking up at him with awe and respect. So people liked this curious Danny. A few obtuse-looking jocks whistled at Danny, cat-calling at him and giving him high-fives as the two passed. One of them stopped to check Victoria out, provoking a light scarlet blush to bloom on her already-tinted cheeks.

"They seem fun," Victoria snorted, glancing down at her schedule and then back up at Danny. He just shrugged.

"Guys are all the same," He said mysteriously, giving Victoria an earnest smile. "So hey, you should give me your number…"

But Danny's talk was completely lost on Victoria, whose face was suddenly frozen in place by shock and dread. She had been doing a great job of tuning everyone else out, focusing her energy on Danny, until the recognition of a sleek, articulate, and rather cheeky voice had crossed her mind. A voice that Victoria knew couldn't be duplicated by anyone. A voice she could swear by, one she never thought she would hear again.

"_That may be true, but what kind of an argument would that make? A bloody horrid one, that's what," _A low-pitched, yet strong voice of a girl rang out, one that Victoria did not recognize.

"_It's too bad nobody asked your opinion Suri," _And again, the familiar voice responded easily. Victoria felt every nerve in her body stand still. _What the…_

"Victoria, are you listening?" Danny stopped, turning to face Victoria, his voice and face fringing with annoyance.

And just then, the two turned the corner of the hallway, traveling down another one. Victoria's hairs stood on end as the two recipients of the voices stood in front of them, lounging against a row of lockers, both bored and annoyed. The girl was beautiful in a threatening, mature way, with sun-kissed skin and dark auburn hair flowing loosely down her over-exposed back. Her lips were stained red, she had high cheekbones and a sharp nose, her lips thin and her body thinner. Just one look at the boy confirmed everything. He was tall and lean, yet strong-looking in a sense of willpower and stance. His hair was dark as well, with tints of wheat and caramel and dark red. He had a small nose that sloped, then rounded itself out. His face was chiseled, with high cheekbones and a jutted jaw line. His lips were naturally red, and impressively full. When he smiled, the corners of his mouth crinkles around his lips, and his teeth were shockingly white and perfectly straight. His essence reeked of confidence.

Danny turned to catch Victoria's gaze, and his own deep green eyes landed on the boy. A look of disgust and annoyance spread across his face, and he sneered. "Suri Blanc's the girl. She's from London, but her dad is French and her mother's Indonesian. Or, she was Indonesian. She died in a fire before Suri moved here, and her father's always working."

Danny pursed his lips, his eyes moving to the boy. "And that's Conrad James. He's just too damn annoying to even talk about," Danny shook his head, and Conrad's eyes moved to the two of them, his hearing obviously picking up on Danny's speech. His electric blue eyes met Victoria's, and time itself seemed to stop completely.


	2. John

"**Number Five With A Bullet" Taking Back Sunday  
><strong>"**Your Guardian Angel" Red Jumpsuit Apparatus  
><strong>"**The Adventures of Raindance Maggie" The Red Hot Chili Peppers**

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><p>John Tessen slammed the door to his study, sinking to the floor as his knees gave out. All around him, his lifetime studies were ruined. Papers scattered around the floor, journals ripped apart, his computer smashed and in multiple pieces on his desk. He was angry, but also heartbroken. He had devoted his life to studying vampires, and now thirty-five years of work was quickly evaporating into the stuffy air around him.<p>

Somebody had broken in, that much was obvious. And the fact that Victoria had mysteriously reappeared just that morning was certainly suspicious. But no, Victoria wouldn't. They had had a deal, a deal he had made when he was twenty and lovesick, and kept throughout his life. He wouldn't reveal her secret if she let him continue his studies, and keep his life. John knew Victoria well, and he knew she would never, ever break that promise.

He couldn't help but smile fondly at the mere thought of Victoria. It was the summer of 1979 when he had met her. Twenty-year-old Jonathon Tessen had just finished his third year at Harvard, and was returning back to his beautiful and historically rich hometown deep in the mountains of Tennessee for the summer. By then John had already immersed himself in the study of vampirism, having encountered one in his last year of high school late one night. From the moment he had laid eyes upon Victoria Eddison, the fresh-faced beauty living in the attic of the Grimley's bed and breakfast, he had been infatuated with her. When the two were introduced after days of, well, _obsessing _over her, John was ecstatic. He was already thinking of white dresses and baby carriages. A very shy and private man at the time, he settled for friendship, waiting for the perfect time to confess his undying love to the young girl. Before he had the chance to, Victoria sprang a little surprise of her own. The fact that she told John about her condition just made John love her even more. She had been his first heartbreak, and when he returned to Boston, he was a changed man. Unlike most men of his age, he wasn't bitter about her rejection. He was compassionate and understanding, knowing it was truly for the best. Still reflecting on their times together brought a thin smile to John's old, cracked lips.

But if not Victoria, then who? John had learned at an early age to keep his fascination with vampires a secret. And even if anyone knew, who would it jeopardize? Immediately, John knew the answer. It was painfully simple, yet too heart wrenching to wrap his brain around. There had to be other vampires in Mystic Falls. The realization made John's body shake. He would have to talk to Victoria about it.

John finally found the strength to stand. His hands were shaking as he picked up a shred of one of his journal entries, seeing the words "_ancient enemy of the vampire_" written on it. With a slow shake of his head, he let it slip through his fingers, the paper like soft leather against his hardened fingertips. He moved into the room over, his kitchen, dragging a vacuum cleaner out of the closet over to the study. Feeling the pang of heartbreak in his chest, he flipped the switch on and began to clean the room, vowing to figure out who wrecked his room.

* * *

><p>School was so tedious when one's house had been broken into by a vampire. All day, John could barely focus on his own lesson. By last period, he was so exhausted that he just turned on a movie and let himself nap. One little fact lurked in the back of his mind; vampires couldn't enter a property until they had been properly invited in by the owner.<p>

He was bent over his desk, packing his stuff up for the day, when he caught a faint knock on his door. Straightening up and dusting his pants off, John called for the person to come in. A petite, pale blonde entered, shutting the door lightly behind her. She turned around, her face nervous but hopeful. _Victoria._

"Anything you need, Miss Eddison?" John joked uncomfortably, his fingers numbly twisting themselves around the chord on his desk phone. Victoria laughed politely, her voice soft and musical. Just as he had remembered. To say that John was still in love with Victoria wouldn't be true. After so many months, and even years, he knew without a doubt that he was over her. Yet his teenaged heart still longed for that one summer. Looking at her face brought him back many years. It was so inexplicably strange to him how she hadn't aged at all.

"I figured we should discuss my being here with one another," Victoria said quietly and evenly, her fingers laced behind her back. "because if it's going to be a problem, I can switch out or something. I don't want anything to be awkward or painful for either of us." _It's just like her to try and spare everyone else's feelings,_ John thought.

"Not in the slightest," John said honestly and firmly. "I want you to feel comfortable in my class, and I see no reason not to have a perfectly normal or even friendly relationship with you… No regrets, remember?" John's old, wrinkled face broke into a smile that Victoria quickly returned. "no regrets" was a slogan the two had used the entire summer. Clearly Victoria did remember.

But her face cast downward, her eyes returning to the floor. It was clear to John now that the two of them held a strained sort of responsibility that neither was used to. They were now a part of a relationship that they hadn't asked for, like animals in a zoo. Boxed in without any say in the matter. He was her teacher, and she was his student. No matter how much John longed for it, he couldn't let their relationship expand towards real friendship. Not the kind of true, linked, best friendship that they once had the luxury of exploring. He could tell by the look on Victoria's pure face that there was so much she was dying to dish to him, but she knew it too. They could never return to what was once, not anymore.

"You should leave now," He said after a long pause, clearing his throat and averting his eyes. The last thing he needed was for a teacher to walk past the doorway and fill in the blanks with things that could cost John his job. Victoria blinked, her head nodding slowly. She gave John a saddened, yet true smile as she turned the corner out of his room, leaving John feeling emptier than he had the night before. His life's passion and his first love had both left in the span of twenty four hours.

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><p>John Tessen had never been a drinker. As a teenager in the seventies, he had been offered plenty of times, but he never failed to gracefully decline. His father had been a nasty drunk, especially after his mother had left them, and John didn't ever want to experience the poison that turned his charming, charismatic father into a sloppy, angry monster.<p>

He could honestly only name three times when he had ever been truly drunk. The first time, he was sixteen. He had walked in on his father molesting his younger sister. After his father left John with bruises too, he broke into the family's liquor cabinet and passed out in the backyard, an empty bottle of vodka still in his hands.

The second time, he had been eighteen. As a freshman in college, there was nothing the young John wanted more than to get into Harvard's most exclusive fraternity. As a part of the "tradition" that John later figured out was hazing in disguise, the older boys took the pledge class deep into the woods, blindfolded, and made them drink a shot for every Harvard trivia question they answered incorrectly. Poor John, who had come from a small rural town with little to no knowledge of the college's history, was the first one to be drunk. He threw up on the new shoes of the senior that was conducting the whole thing. Needless to say, he wasn't tapped.

The third time was a week before John's twenty-first birthday, ironically. He had finally decided to confess to his alluring, stunning, beautiful best friend that he was in love with her. Things started to go downhill when he found her, frozen with terror, in his office with one of his many journals on vampires. With tears streaming down her face, she revealed her true self to him, and left shortly after. He had woken up in his bed the next morning with an empty bottle of fire whiskey, dried tears on his cheeks, and the worst headache he had ever experienced.

One would assume that after three terrible drinking experiences such as those, John Tessen wouldn't touch alcohol again. Yet there he was, his fifty-two-year-old self in a dingy bar downtown, a beer in hand and slouched over like he had lost all hope. And truthfully, he had. He noticed the way the bartender had been eyeing him nervously the past hour, probably worried he might black out right then and there.

John was already very drunk, he knew that for sure. So much so that he didn't notice the hooded figure in the back of the room that had been watching him very carefully from the minute he downed his first beer.

"Haveagoodnight," John slurred finally, slamming three tens on the bartop and saluting the bartender as he climbed down from the high stool, nearly causing a collision in the process. He practically limped outside, his fat fingers dialing the number for a taxi.

"229 East Lloyd Avenue," He forced out, hanging up his crappy flip phone and leaning against a light post.

And suddenly, he wasn't in the open anymore. He was in an alley, a thin arm wrapped tightly around his neck and the force of someone much bigger than he pushing against him from the behind. "What the-" He mumbled, his breath picking up. He twisted around, trying desperately to free himself, but nothing worked. The person tightened his grip around John's neck.

"I wrecked your office. Take that as your warning," The breath of the person was hot and sticky on John's old ear, the voice eerily sleek and hissing, like a snake. Before John could blink, he was back in front of the bar, climbing into the taxi. He would have questioned if it had ever even happened, if it weren't for the bruises on his neck the next morning.


End file.
